The present invention relates to machine tools, and more particularly to an apparatus for removing carbon particles and other dust within the immediate vicinity of the machining operation.
Carbon is one of the most common materials used for manufacturing EDM electrodes. These electrodes must be formed to the desired shape, and the electrodes are usually produced in a machining process. The most commonly used machines are milling machines or machining centers.
When carbon is machined, very fine chips and dust particles are produced which become airborne. Carbon dust is a health hazard and very abrasive. The abrasive nature of the dust quickly destroys vital mechanical elements of machine tools such as way systems, ballscrews, gears and other sliding or rolling elements.
Various devices have been tried to contain the carbon dust or limit damage to the various machine components. Elaborate and expensive, telescoping or bellows type covers can be installed to protect vital elements of the machine, and vacuum systems are usually employed close to the cutter but are never 100% successful in capturing all of the dust. A recent machine designed specifically to machine carbon uses both these techniques and in addition, totally encloses the machine in a housing and adds air curtains to direct the dust towards the vacuum inlets.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for containing carbon particles and dust within the vicinity of the cutter.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus for preventing the escape of dust from the vicinity of the cutter so as to prevent the dust from becoming a health hazard and making it unnecessary to protect the vital parts of the machine.
Another object of this invention is to provide a very economical and simply constructed apparatus for containing carbon dust or other hazardous dust particles.